Love is Strange

Movie Name: Love is Strange
Year of Release: 2014

Director: Ira Sachs

Stars: Alfred Molina, John Lithgow, Marisa Tomei, Darren E. Burrows, Cheyenne Jackson, Manny Perez, Christina Kirk, Harriet Harris, Charlie Tahan, John Cullum
Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8

Synopsis:

Ira Sachs follows his latest film "Keep the Lights On", with the wonderful "Love is Strange". The film follows the story of George and Ben, a gay couple who have been together for 39 years and live in New York. After they both get married, George is laid off from the church he teaches in, and due to that the couple loses the apartment where they have lived for over 20 years. The logistics of finding a new apartment in New York is complex and forces the couple to seek a place to live within their family and close friends. Both George and Ben are split up, living with different family units while trying to navigate the process of overcoming the high cost of living and still stay together.
Ira Sachs has successfully built a film that anchors its strength on the performances of the actors and the core of the story that it depicts. The film showcases the amount of tenderness that exists between a couple that has lived together for a lifetime - this is superbly acted by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina, who both excel in creating characters that are alive and feel real. Sachs also successfully addresses the issues pertaining to aging and the difficulties of living in a city that is intrusively expensive. The film is simultaneously heartfelt, realistic and ultimately memorable - a celebration of a lifetime. A fantastic film worth watching.